Wall assembly for a building structure

ABSTRACT

A wall assembly is disclosed including a plurality of panels extending in a line. Each panel  12  has front and rear panel faces and two sides. The wall assembly also includes a bottom plate extending along lower edges of the panels and fixed thereto, and a top plate extending along upper edges of the panels and fixed thereto. The wall assembly includes a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the wall. The panels define a recess in each side thereof and the recesses of adjacent panels open into each other to form a receiving channel. The support posts are received within the receiving channel as are service conduits and/or cables. The top plate is configured so that service cables/conduits can run along the top plate. The bottom plate and the support posts are mounted on a wall support that is conveniently a concrete slab.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a wall assembly for a building structure. Italso extends to a building structure including the wall assembly.

This invention relates particularly to a wall assembly for use in abuilding structure that is a free standing house or home that is builton a land allotment. Often these homes are used to house a single familyand are referred to as a family home. It will therefore be convenient tohereinafter describe the invention with reference to this exampleapplication. However at the same time it must be recognized that theinvention is capable of broader application. For example the inventioncould be used for free standing wall assemblies that do not form part ofa building structure.

DEFINITIONS

In the specification the term “comprising” shall be understood to have abroad meaning similar to the term “including” and will be understood toimply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers orsteps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group ofintegers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on theterm “comprising” such as “comprise” and “comprises”.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Currently many homes are being built using an internal timber structuralframe and a surrounding brick veneer that is tied to the timber frame.The timber frame comprises a series of horizontally extending platesthat are interconnected by a corresponding number of verticallyextending studs to form a sequence of repeating single frame units whichtogether make up the structural frame of the house. The frame istypically constructed by a carpenter from linear members of framingtimber that are cut to length and then interconnected to build thestructural frame.

Conventionally insulated panels may be connected along longitudinal sideedges by tongue and groove formations which interconnect adjacentinsulated panels along steel channel rim joints by means of screws.Further additional structure, such as load carrying rods, tubes orboards, is often required to strengthen the panels.

Clearly it would be advantageous if a wall assembly and a buildingstructure could be devised that could be built expeditiously and thatreduced the level of skill required by builders to build the building,while still that satisfying building regulations and standards. It wouldalso be advantageous if the wall assembly and building structure couldbe assembled from fewer components than traditional prior art methods.This would simplify the process of ordering the building components andmaterials and delivering them to the site and would also simplify thebuilding process. It would also be advantageous if a wall assembly andbuilding structure that had good energy saving properties in addition tothese properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a wallassembly, including:

-   -   a wall support;    -   a wall body comprising a plurality of panels extending in a line        along a length of the wall assembly, each panel having front and        rear panel faces and two sides extending between the front and        rear faces, each side of each panel defines a recess therein,        and each recess is aligned with the recess on the adjacent side        of an adjacent panel so that the recesses open into each other        and form a receiving channel;    -   a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals        along the length of the wall body, each support post being        received within one of the receiving channels formed in the wall        body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall body and        to the wall support;    -   a bottom plate that runs along the operatively lower edges of        the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall        support; and    -   a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of        the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the        wall support.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a wallassembly, including:

-   -   a wall support having a plurality of anchoring elements        projecting up therefrom;    -   a wall body comprising a plurality of panels extending in a        line, each panel having front and rear panel faces and two sides        that extend between the front and rear panel faces, each side of        each panel defines a recess therein, and each recess is aligned        with the recess on the adjacent side of an adjacent panel so        that the recesses open into each other and form a receiving        channel;    -   a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of        the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the        wall support, wherein the top plate is configured so that        service cables or conduits can be run along the length of the        top plate without projecting out proud of the front and rear        panel faces of the panels;    -   a bottom plate that runs along the operatively lower edges of        the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall        support; and    -   a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals        along the length of the wall body, each support post being        received within one of the receiving channels formed in the wall        body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall body and        to the wall support, each support post includes a post top        bracket that is fixed thereto and is fixed to the top plate        adjacent to the support post, and each support post has a bore        defined in a lower end thereof within which one of the anchoring        elements on the support is received to fix the support post to        the wall support; and    -   one or more service cables or conduits for providing services,        each service cable or conduit being directed from the top plate        down through one of the receiving channels defined in the wall        body which is not occupied by a support post whereby to run the        cables or conduits to where they are required on the wall body.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a wallassembly including:

-   -   a plurality of panels extending in a line along a length of the        wall assembly, each panel having front and rear panel faces, an        operatively upper edge and an operatively lower edge and two        sides extending between the upper and lower edges;    -   a bottom plate which runs along the operatively lower edges of        the panels and which is fixed to the panels;    -   a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of        the panels and which is fixed to the panels; and    -   a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals        along the length of the wall assembly, each support post being        positioned between the sides of two adjacent panels of the        plurality of panels.

The wall assembly may further include a support on which the bottomplate is mounted, and the support posts may be fixed to the support.Further the bottom plate may be mounted on the support and may be fixedthereto. The support may be in the form of a slab of settable materialon which the wall assembly is mounted. Conveniently the slab may be aconcrete slab that is mounted on the ground. Each support post may befixed to the top plate and may also be attached to the bottom plate.

At least two of said plurality of panels may define a post receivingchannel in at least one side thereof, and each channel may be sized sothat it can receive at least part of a support post therein. Two or moreof said plurality of panels may define a post receiving channel in eachside thereof. Conveniently all the panels may define post receivingchannels in each side thereof.

The post receiving channels within which the support posts are receivedmay have a substantially rectangular cross sectional shape. Instead thepost receiving channels may have a semi-circular cross sectional shape.It is convenient if the post receiving channels complement the postreceived therein but it is not essential that this be the case. Eachpanel may comprise two outer layers and an insulating core sandwichedbetween the two outer layers.

The two outer layers may each be formed of a sheet of metallic materialsuch as steel and have a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm-1.0 mm.Conveniently the outer layers have some stiffness and in some forms areformed from sheets of steel having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm.

The insulating core may be formed of a polymeric insulating material,e.g. extruded or expanded polystyrene. The post receiving channelsdefined in the sides of the panels may be formed in the insulating corebetween the two outer layers.

In some forms of the invention the panels have complementary engagementformations that when engaged act to locate adjacent panels relative toeach other, e.g. align adjacent panels with each other, and also holdand support adjacent panels in position relative to each other. Thecomplementary engagement formations may be formed by configuring the twoouter layers to form complementary male and female formations, e.g.tongue and groove formations.

Each support post may be received within the panels by being spaced infrom the front and rear faces of the panels. That is the panel defines apanel body and the support post is received within the panel body.

The post receiving channels may be located in a position on the sides ofthe panels such that the channels of abutting sides of adjacent panelsopen into each other and form an enlarged channel. Conveniently the postreceiving channels may be disposed substantially centrally with respectto the thickness or depth of the panel so that the post receivingchannels of abutting sides of adjacent panels open into each other whenthe panels are aligned with each other. Each support post may bereceived within a combined channel formed by the post receiving channelson the abutting sides of adjacent panels.

Further the support posts may be located at substantially evenly spacedintervals along the length of the wall assembly. As the posts may onlybe located on the sides of the panel the spacing of the posts away fromeach other will always be a multiple of the width of the panels. Forexample a support post may be located every third, fourth, fifth ofsixth panel in which case the posts will be respectively three, four,five, or six panel widths away from each other.

The top plate may define a panel receiving channel that is configured toreceive an upper edge region of a panel snugly therein.

The panel receiving channel may comprise a bridge that extends at leastpart of the way across the operatively upper edge of the panel, andskirts extending from the bridge down the front and rear faces of thepanels.

The top plate may further include a top cap that projects up above thepanel receiving channel when mounted on a wall assembly. The top cap maycomprise two wall sections extending away from the bridge and a topsection extending across upper ends of the two wall sections and joiningthem together.

The top plate may be fixed to each of the panels by means of a pluralityof fastening elements that are located at spaced intervals along thelength of the top plate, and that pass through the top plate and intothe panel beneath the top plate.

The fastening elements may be passed through one of the skirts on thepanel receiving channel and into one of the front and rear faces of thepanels. The fastening elements may be passed though the top plate andinto the panels at spaced intervals along the length of the wallassembly, e.g. at closely spaced intervals along the length of the wallassembly. Conveniently the fastening elements may be nails that aredriven through the skirts and into the panels.

The wall assembly may further include a plurality of post top bracketsand one post top bracket may be mounted on the upper end of each supportpost for fixing the support posts to the top plate and therebyindirectly to the wall panels.

Each post top bracket may comprise a post fixing portion that is mountedover the operatively upper edge of the adjacent panels and has afastening element opening defined therein, and a top plate fixingportion on the post fixing portion that is configured to complement thetop plate so that it can be nested with the top plate.

Each support post may include a bore formed in the upper and lower endsthereof, and the post top bracket may be mounted on each support post bymeans of a post fastening element, e.g. a bolt, that is passed throughthe fastening element opening in the post fixing portion of the post topplate, and is received within the bore formed in the upper end of thepost and engaged therewith.

The bores defined in the upper and lower ends of the post may have ascrew thread formed thereon and the post fastening element that is abolt may have a complementary external screw thread formed on the shankthereof for engaging the thread in the bore. The bolt may have anenlarged head for resting on the post fixing portion and resisting itspassage through the fastening element opening.

The top plate fixing portion of the post top bracket may be sandwichedbetween the upper edges of the adjacent panels and a portion of the topplate that overlaps therewith. The top plate may be fixed to the topplate fixing portion by means of fastening elements that are passedthrough the top plate and the top plate fixing portion of the post topbracket. The fastening elements may be nails that are driven through thetop plate and into the top plate fixing portion.

The top plate may comprise a plurality of top plate sections that arearranged in series along the upper edge of the panels that are directlyor indirectly attached to each other. For example the top plate sectionsmay be indirectly attached to each other by means of a post top bracket.

The lower end of each support post may be mounted on the bottom plate bymeans of another post fastening element, e.g. a bolt.

The other post fastening element that is a bolt may have a shank portionthat is received in the bore in the lower end of the support post and isengaged therewith. The shank portion may have an external screw threadthat engages a screw thread within the bore.

The bolt may have another shank portion that is passed through a boltopening in the bottom plate and is anchored in the support.

The bottom plate may define a bottom channel having two channel wallsthat receive the operatively lower edges of the panels therein, and thebottom plate may be fixed to each of the panels by means of fasteningelements that are located at spaced intervals along the bottom plate.

The fastening elements may be passed through one of the channel wallsand into the panel behind the channel wall through one of the front andrear faces thereof. The fastening elements may be nails or the like thatcan be driven through the bottom plate and into the panels.

The wall assembly may further include hold down brackets mounted on thebottom plate located at spaced intervals along the bottom rail forfurther fixing the bottom plate to the support and holding down thebottom plate when the wall assembly is subjected to a high load.

Each hold down bracket may be received within the bottom channel and mayextend substantially fully across the width of the bottom channelwhereby to assist in holding down the bottom plate across the width ofthe bottom channel.

The wall assembly may include hold down bracket fastening elements formounting the hold down brackets on the bottom plate, and each hold downbracket fastening element may be passed through the hold down bracket,and the bottom plate and be anchored in the support. The hold downbracket fastening elements may be in the form of bolts having anenlarged head.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided abuilding structure including a wall assembly as defined in the precedingaspect of the invention and a roof mounted on the wall assembly. Thewall assembly may include any one or more of the optional featuresdescribed above in the first aspect of the invention. In particular thetop plate may include a panel receiving portion and a top cap portion.

The roof may comprise a plurality of roof panels arranged side by sidealong at least part of the length of the wall assembly. Each roof panelmay be mounted on the top cap portion of the top plate and be fixed tothe top plate by means of fastening elements that are passed through theroof panels and into the top cap portion of the top plate. The fasteningelements may be in the form of nails that are driven through the roofpanels and into the top cap of the top plate.

The building structure may further include cover strips that extendbetween upper regions of the inner and outer faces of the wall panel andthe roof whereby to cover over the top plate. The cover strips may be afascia board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A wall assembly and a building structure in accordance with thisinvention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will beconvenient to hereinafter describe at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Thepurpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct personshaving an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to carrythe invention into practical effect. However it is to be clearlyunderstood that the specific nature of this detailed description doesnot supersede the generality of the preceding broad description. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of a partly erected wallassembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a building structure including thewall assembly illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of a top plate for the wall assemblyin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of a top plate for the wall assemblyin FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a close up exploded perspective view of an upper region of thewall assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a close up perspective view of the upper region of the wallassembly in FIG. 5 in an assembled condition;

FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of the bottom plate of the wallassembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the bottom plate shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an upper perspective view of a lower region of a wall assemblysimilar to that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of a part of the lower region of thewall assembly shown in FIG. 9 showing the bottom plate hold down bracketin section;

FIG. 11 is an upper perspective view of a panel of the wall assembly onFIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the panel of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional plan view showing two panels engaged with eachother and showing a support post received within the channels formed bythe adjacent panels;

FIG. 14 is an upper perspective view of a building structure like thatshown in FIG. 2, showing a support post in a combined channel defined bytwo adjacent panels and an electrical conduit being passed down anothercombined channel between adjacent panels;

FIG. 15 is a sectional plan view showing two panels engaged with eachother and showing a support post received within the channels formed bythe adjacent panels that is a variation on that shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a lower region of the wall assemblyshowing how the operatively lower end of the panel interacts with thehold down bracket;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a builder fixing two panels toeach other by passing fastening elements through the engaged formationsof adjacent panels;

FIG. 18 is a close up perspective view showing how each fasteningelement is passed through the different layers of the engaged formationsof adjacent panels;

FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of part of the buildingstructure shown in FIG. 2, with parts omitted for clarity, showing aservice conduit carrying an electrical cable running along a horizontalconduit space formed by the top plate and then running down through avertical conduit space defined by two panels, and then exiting theconduit space through an outlet opening at a height where a switch or apower point is required;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a building structure that is similar tothe building structure shown in FIG. 2, but showing different servicesbeing directed conveyed through two horizontal conduit spaces on eachside of the top cap portion of the top plate;

FIG. 21 is a close up sectional view of part of the building structureshown in FIG. 4 showing how the electrical and/or data cables as well aswater pipes are passed though respective openings in the top plate andthen directed into separate vertically extending conduit spaces formedby channels in the sides of the panels;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the building structure of FIG. 2showing how the electrical and/or data cables and water pipes aredirected along different horizontal conduit spaces on the top plate andthen down different vertical conduit spaces defined in the panels todifferent service provisions points within the building structure; and

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an inside wall of a finished buildingstructure similar to that in FIG. 2 and showing how the electricaland/or data cables and water pipes are directed through the conduitspaces, and then through outlets in the panels to their respectivefittings within the building structure.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 10 refers generally to a wall assembly inaccordance with the invention.

The wall assembly 10 comprises broadly a plurality of panels 12 arrangedside by side in a line along the length of the wall assembly 10. Eachpanel 12 has front and rear panel faces 14 and 16, an operatively upperedge 18 and an operatively lower edge 19, and two sides 20 and 22extending between the upper and lower edges 18 and 19. The wall assembly10 also includes a wall support in the form of a concrete slab 26 on theground and a bottom plate 28 that is mounted on the slab 26. The panels12 are mounted on the bottom plate 28 which runs along the operativelylower edges 19 of the panels 12. The wall assembly 10 also includes atop plate 30 mounted on the operatively upper edge 18 of the panels 12and which is fixed to the panels 12. Further the wall assembly 10includes a plurality of support posts 32 positioned at spaced intervalsalong the length of the wall assembly 10. Each support post 32 ispositioned between the abutting sides of two adjacent panels 12 and isfixed to the top plate 20 and the bottom plate 28.

Each of these components will now be described in more detail below.

The panels 12 define a post receiving channel 34 in each side 20 and 22thereof, and each channel 34 is sized so that it can receive about onehalf of the cross sectional area of a support post 32 therein. In oneillustrated embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 14, the post receivingchannels 34 have a rectangular cross sectional shape although it will beappreciated that other cross-sectional shapes such as a semi-circularcross sectional shape as shown in FIG. 15 can also be used.

Each panel 12 comprises two outer layers 35, 36 and an insulating core38 sandwiched between the two outer layers 35, 36. The two outer layers35, 36 are formed of a sheet of steel of steel having some stiffnesshaving a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm. The insulating core38 is made out of a solid insulating material such as expanded orextruded polystyrene foam. The post receiving channels 34 are defined inthat part of the sides of the panel formed by the insulating core 38.During manufacture of the panels, the channels 34 can be formed in theinsulating core 38 by simply cutting the material out of the insulatingcore. Instead the core 38 which as a constant cross sectional shapealong its length can be extruded with the channels 34 formed therein. Insome forms of the invention the post receiving channels 34 arerectangular and have a width of 20 to 40 mm and a depth of 20 to 40 mm.

The two sides 20 and 22 of the panels 12 have complementary male andfemale engagement formations, shown generally by the numerals 40 and 42in FIGS. 11 and 12. The abutting sides 20, 22 of adjacent panels 12 canbe aligned with each other, and located in a correct position relativeto each other, by engaging the male and female engagement formations 40and 42 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 18. These joints that are used forpositioning adjacent panels by engaging adjacent panels 12 with eachother can conveniently be described as ‘slip joints’.

The top plate 30 comprises one or more top plate sections of constantcross sectional profile that are arranged in series along the upperedges 18 of the panels 12. The top plate 30 comprises a panel receivingchannel 44 that is configured to receive an upper edge region of thepanels 12 therein. The panel receiving channel 44 in turn comprises apanel bridge 45 that extends across part of the operatively upper edge18 of the panel 12 and panel skirts 46 extending over the front and rearfaces 14 and 16 of the panels 12. The top plate 30 further includes atop cap 50 that projects up above the panel receiving channel 44 whenthe top plate 30 is mounted on the panels 12. The top cap 50 comprisestwo top cap wall sections 52 extending up away from the bridge 45 and atop cap bridge 54 extending between upper ends of the cap wall sections52 and joining them together.

In the illustrated embodiment the panel bridge 45 extends from the frontand rear faces 14 and 16 of the panel 12 to the cap wall sections 52 ofthe top cap 50, where it terminates. Thus it does not extend fullyacross the full thickness or depth of the upper edge of the panels 12from the front face 14 to the rear face 16 thereof. In other embodimentsit could extend fully across the upper end 18 of the panels 12.

The bottom plate 28 has walls that define two channel walls 56 thatdefine a bottom channel 58 that receive the operatively lower edges 19of the panels 12 therein. The bottom plate 28 also has a skirt 59extending away there from at an oblique angle therefrom on one sidethereof corresponding to the rear face 16 of the panels 12. The walls 56of the bottom channel 58 are low and define openings at spaced intervalsalong their length. The openings permit moisture to pass through thewalls, for example to drain any retained moisture, and to permit air topass there through. As shown in FIG. 8 the bottom plate 28 can be formedby deforming or working a single sheet of steel along its length to formthe low walls and the oblique skirt.

The manner in which the support posts 12 are mounted to the top plate 30and the bottom plate 28 will now be described in more detail. Eachsupport post 32 has an upper end 60 and a lower end 62. Each post alsohas a bore defining an internal screw thread formed in each of the upperand lower ends 60 and 62 thereof.

Each support post 32 has a post top bracket 64 mounted on the upper end60 thereof. Each post top bracket 64 comprises a post fixing portion 66that is mounted over the operatively upper edge 18 of the panels 12 thatare adjacent thereto, and has a fastening element opening 68 definedtherein. Each post top bracket 64 also has a top plate fixing portion 70extending over and round the post fixing portion 66 that is configuredto complement the top plate 30 so that it can be nested with the topplate 30. That is it complements the profile of the top plate channel 44and the top cap 50 of the top plate 30.

Each post top bracket 64 is mounted to its associated support post 32 bymeans of a post fastening element that is in the form of a bolt 72having an enlarged head and a screw threaded shank that complements thescrew threaded bore within the upper end 60 of the post 32. The bolt 72is passed through the fastening element opening 68 in the post fixingportion 66, and its screw threaded shank is received within and engagedwith the screw threaded bore in the post 32. The head of the bolt 72 isretained above the post fixing portion 66.

The top plate fixing portion 70 of the post top bracket 64 is sandwichedbetween the upper edges 18 of the adjacent panels 12 and the top plate30. Often different top plate sections have their adjacent edges mountedover the top of the post top bracket 64 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Thetop plate 30 is fixed to the top plate fixing portion 70 by means offastening elements that are passed through the top plate 30 and the topplate fixing portion 70 of the post top bracket 64, and then into thepanel 12 underneath the post top bracket 64. This is describedimmediately below with reference to fixing of the top plate 30 generallyto the panels 12.

The top plate 30 is fixed to each of the panels 12 by means of fasteningelements 78 that are passed through the top plate 30 and into the panels12 adjacent to the top plate 30. The fastening elements 78 are eachpassed through one of the skirts 46 on the top plate channel 44, andinto one of the front or rear faces 14 or 16 of the panels 12. Thefastening elements 78 are positioned at closely spaced intervals alongthe length of the wall assembly. Conveniently the fastening elements 78that are used for this purpose are nails that are driven through the topplate 30 and into the panel 12. Other fastening elements 78 are passedthrough the top plate 30 and then through the panel top bracket 64 andthen into the panel 12.

The lower end 72 of each support post 32 is fixed to the bottom plate 28by means of a fastening element that is a bolt 76. The bolt 76 has anoperatively upper portion having a screw threaded shank that is receivedwithin the bore in the lower end 72 of the post 32 and is engagedtherewith. The bolt 76 has an operatively lower portion that also has ashank with a screw thread that is passed through a bolt opening in thebottom plate 28 and is anchored in the concrete slab 26. It is therebyfixed to each of the support post 32 and the slab 26 and in the processanchors down the bottom plate 28. This bolt 76 unlike the bolt 74 doesnot have an enlarged head.

The bottom plate 28 is fixed to each of the panels 12 by means offastening elements that are nails 80 that are driven through the channelwalls 56 of the bottom plate 28 and into the panel 12 behind the wall56. As with the top plate these fixing nails are located at spacedintervals along the length of the bottom plate 28. Further there arenails that are driven horizontally through one of the channel walls 56into the panel in one direction and other nails that driven horizontallythrough the other channel wall 56 and into the panel 12 in an oppositedirection.

The bottom plate 28 is fixed to the slab 26 on which the wall assembly10 is mounted by means of the bolts 76 which mount the lower ends 72 ofthe posts 32 on the slab 26. The bolts 76 mounted on the posts 32 passthrough a bolt opening in the bottom plate 28 before entering the slab26 so that the bottom plate 28 is sandwiched between the post 32 and theslab 26 and firmly fixed thereto. Also the panels 12 bear down on thebottom plate 28 and apply some retaining force to the bottom plate 28.The panels in turn are held down by the top plate 30 which in turn isheld down by the posts 32 through the post top bracket 64.

In addition the wall assembly has hold down brackets for the expresspurpose of augmenting fixing of the assembly 10 by the support posts 32for holding the bottom plate 28 firmly on the slab support 26 in allconditions. The hold down brackets 82 are located at spaced intervalsalong the length of the bottom plate 28.

Each hold down bracket 82 comprises a bracket body 84 having a bracketbolt 86 passed there through which is received within the concrete slab26. The bracket body 84 has a width that is sized to be received withinthe bottom channel 58 of the bottom plate 28 with a working clearance.This enables it to hold down the bottom plate 28 across its full widthwhen subjected to load, such as that due to high wind strength. In theillustrated embodiment the bracket 82 has two corrugations 85 extendingin the direction of width of the bottom channel 58 which helps tostrengthen it. The bracket bolt 86 has a screw threaded shank that isreceived within an opening in the slab 26 and is engaged therewith. Partof the shank of the bracket bolt 86 projects up through the bracket body84 and a nut 88 is mounted over the shank which is screwed down onto thebracket body 84.

FIGS. 2 and 14 illustrate a building structure that is a house inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention. The house is indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 90.

The house 90 comprises broadly a slab 26 and a wall assembly 10 asdescribed above and a roof 92 mounted on the wall assembly. Unlessotherwise indicated the same components will be indicated by the samereference numerals as in the other drawings. In the house 90 the frontface 14 of the panels faces into the inside of the house 90 and the rearof the panel 12 faces out to the outside of the house 90.

The roof 92 comprises a plurality of roof panels 94 having opposed endsthat are similar in some respects to the wall panels 12. Each roof panel94 is mounted on two spaced supports. One support is formed by the wallassembly 10 as described above and shown in the drawings and the othersupport (not shown) is typically a structural beam for the roof spacedfrom the wall assembly 10 and extending parallel thereto. Each roofpanel 94 comprises two outer layers of a sheet 35, 36 and an insulatingcore 38 sandwiched between the outer layers 35, 36.

As shown in the drawings the roof panels 94, towards said one endsthereof, are mounted on the wall assembly 19. The roof panels 94 rest onthe top cap 50 of the top plate 30 spaced above the operatively upperedge 18 of the panels 12. Fastening elements that are nails 96 aredriven through the panels 12 and into the top cap 50 of the top plate30. The nails 96 are located at spaced intervals along the length of thewall.

The roof panels 94 are arranged at a slight pitch as shown in thedrawings so that water falling on the roof can run to the edge of theroof 92. The roof panel 94 can form an eave as shown in FIG. 2 toprovide shade and also provide some shelter against rain coming inthrough windows formed in the wall assembly. Further the roof 92includes gutters 98 at the end of the panels 94 to collect water runningoff the roof 92 and run it off as storm water.

FIG. 14 shows some added features of the wall assembly 10 and the house90.

In the house in FIG. 14, the wall assembly has support posts receivedwithin the channels in the sides of adjacent panels every third panelalong the length of the wall. One such support post is indicated by thereference numeral 100. Accordingly there are two channels formedabutting sides of adjacent panels having channels 34 that do not have asupport post received therein between successive support posts 32.

These channels 34 in the sides of adjacent panels 12 that are positionedbetween the support posts 32 are used to form conduit spaces forcarrying conduits or pipes for water and electricity and data servicesto be provided within the house 90. For example electrical conduitscarrying electrical cables are received in some of the conduits andwater pipes carrying water are received in some of the other conduits.

In FIG. 14 an electrical conduit 102 extends along the top plate 30 in ahorizontal conduit space defined by the top plate 30 above the frontfaces 14 of the panels 12 on the inside of the house 90. One or moreelectrical cables 104 are received inside the electrical conduit 102.The electrical cables 104 are directed down through an opening in thetop plate 30 and into a vertical conduit space 106 formed by a combinedchannel comprising the channels 34 in the abutting sides 30, 32 ofadjacent panels 12. These channels 34 are spaced one panel width apartfrom the channels 34 that receive the support post 100.

Further in FIG. 14 a water conduit that is a water pipe extends alongthe top plate 30 in another horizontal conduit formed by the top plate30. The water pipe can be directed into a different vertical conduitspace (not shown) that is formed by different channels 34 again ofabutting sides of adjacent panels 12. Thus the channels 34 can be usedto receive support posts 32 and also to form vertical conduit spacesrunning within the wall that receive electrical conduits and cables orwater pipes.

In use a wall assembly 10 (wall) and then a building structure 90 isbuilt by casting the concrete slab 26 on the ground according to knowntechniques. A wall line is then marked out on the slab 26 and a bottomplate 28 is laid out on the slab 26. The bottom plate 28 is fixed to theslab 26 by means of the spaced hold down brackets 82 located along thelength of the wall.

A plurality of panels 12 is then mounted in position on the bottom plate28 and a plurality of vertical support posts 32 is located betweenadjacent panels 12 at prescribed spaced intervals along the length ofthe wall. Typically the posts may be positioned at three, four, five orsix panel width intervals along the length of the wall. The spacing ofthe support posts 32 along the wall is a matter of engineering design.In one form the wall has a support post located at three panel intervalsalong the length thereof.

The panels 12 are initially placed in position by engaging thecomplementary male and female formations 40 and 42 of abutting sides 30,32 of adjacent panels 12 with each other. This locates the panels 12 inthe correct positions relative to each other along the line of the wall.Thereafter the panels 12 are fixed to each other by means of fasteningelements indicated generally by numeral 110 extending along each side ofthe front and rear faces 14 and 16 of each of the panels 12. As shown inFIGS. 13 and 18 each fastening element 110 is passed through threelayers of steel sheet forming the female formation 42 and two layers ofsheet forming the male formation 40. This leads to a very strongattachment of the panels 12 to each other. Further as shown in FIG. 17 aworker screws the screws 110 into the engaged panels at spaced intervalsup the height of the panels 12 using a powered hand tool. As shown inFIG. 16 recesses 112 are formed in the operatively lower edges 19 of thepanels 12 to receive the hold down brackets 82 therein. This ensuresthat the upper edges 18 of the panels 12, and also that the top plate30, have a horizontally extending orientation.

As shown in the drawings and particularly FIGS. 13 and 15 thereof, eachsupport post 32 is received within the combined channel formed by thechannels 34 of the abutting sides 30, 32 of two adjacent panels 12 asdescribed above with a snug fit.

Once the support posts 32 and the panels 12 are in position the post topbrackets 64 are mounted on each of the support posts 12. Each post topbracket 64 has a post fixing portion 66 that has a bolt opening 68therein and a bolt 72 is passed through the post fixing portion 66 andinto the threaded bore defined in the upper end 60 of the support post32. This fixes the post top bracket 64 to the upper end 60 of the post32. Adjacent side regions of the adjacent panels 12 are sandwichedbetween the post top bracket 64 and the upper edges of the panels 12 asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

Thereafter the top plate 30 is mounted on the post top brackets 64 andthe operatively upper end 18 of the panels 12 to complete the wallassembly 10. The top plate 30 comprises a plurality of discrete topplate sections that are arranged in series along the top of the panels12. The top plate sections are mounted over the upper edges 18 of thepanels 12 and also over the top plate fixing portions 70 of the post topbrackets 64. Thus each post top bracket 64 is sandwiched between the topplate 30 and the post top bracket 64. Adjacent top plate sections areattached to each other indirectly by their respective attachments to thepost top bracket.

As described above the top plate 30 is fixed to the post top brackets 64and also the panels 12 by means of fastening elements that are nails 78that are horizontally passed through the skirts 46 of the top platechannel 44 and into the panels 12. In those regions where the post topbrackets 64 are sandwiched between the top plate 30 and a said panel 12then the fastening elements are passed through the post top brackets 64as well as the panel 12. Thereafter the roof 92 can be mounted on thewall assembly 10. This is accomplished by mounting opposing end regionsof the roof panels 94 on the wall assembly 10 and also on a spaced roofsupport (not shown). The roof panels 94 are fixed to the top plate 30 bymeans of fastening elements that are nails 96 that are passed throughthe roof panel 94 and into the top cap 50 of the top plate 30.Thereafter the house built according to this invention is finished inthe usual way. This includes rendering of the walls and addingelectrical and water services and also finishing the house generallyincluding installing fittings in the bathrooms and the kitchen. As thispart of the building structure or house does not form part of theinvention defined in this application it will not be described furtherin this application.

FIGS. 19 to 23 illustrate another embodiment of a wall assembly inaccordance with the invention to that described above with reference toFIGS. 1 to 18. Unless otherwise indicated the same reference numeralswill be used to refer to the same components as in the earlierembodiment.

As with the earlier embodiment the wall body 112 comprises a pluralityof wall panels 122 arranged side by side in a line along the length ofthe wall body 112. Each panel 120 has two major panel faces 123 and 124and collectively the panel faces 123 and 124 form part of the faces ofthe wall body 112. Each panel 122 also has a panel upper edge 126 and apanel lower edge 128 and two panel sides 130 and 132 extending betweenthe panel upper edge 126 and the panel lower edge 128.

FIGS. 19 to 22 of the drawings illustrate how electrical and dataservices and also water supply services are directed in electrical orwater conduits through the horizontal and vertical conduit spaces fromthe service supply points to the distributed service provisions pointsthroughout the house.

Each of these electrical and water conduits will be described in turnbelow with reference to these drawings.

The top plate 120 defines two horizontally extending conduit spaces 156and 158 on respectively inner and outer sides of the cap portion 138.The wall panels 122 define a plurality of vertically extending conduitspaces between adjacent wall panels 122 and selected or specificvertical conduit spaces will be given specific numbers in thedescription below.

In FIGS. 19 to 22 the building structure 150 has an electrical serviceconduit, which is indicated generally by reference numeral 160, mountedin the horizontal conduit space indicated by the reference numeral 156that is on the inside of the wall assembly 110. That is it faces intothe inside of the house 150 rather than facing outwards away from thehouse 150.

The service conduit 160 is elongate and has a rectangular shape thatcomplements the shape of the bridging element 140 of the wall mountingportion 136 and the adjacent wall element 144 of the top cap portion 138forming the conduit space 156. This enables the conduit 160 to be snuglyreceived within this conduit space 156 and to be covered by the bridgingelement 140 and adjacent wall element 144 along two of its four sides.

The service conduit 160 comprises a fixed conduit body 162 that formsthree surfaces of the conduit and a removable conduit cover strip 164that is removably mounted on the conduit body 162 and that forms thefourth surface of the service conduit 160. Where the house 150 has aroof 154 on the wall assembly 110, the fixed conduit body 162 is coveredby the bridging element 140 and wall element 144 on the top plate 120along two of its sides, and also by the roof 154 on its top side. Theconduit cover strip 164 faces outwardly away from the associatedinternal face of the wall body 114 into a room within the buildingstructure 150.

As shown in FIG. 21 of the drawings, the cover strip 164 is removable soas to provide easy access to the electrical cables 166 inside it bysimply removing the cover strip 164. The cover strip 164 is configuredto cover over the space defined between the operatively upper edge 126of the wall panels and the roof 154. That way the cover strip 164 closesoff the top plate 120 entirely from view to a person located within aroom of the house 150. Further the cover strip 164 may optionally alsobe configured to resemble a cornice strip which is aestheticallypleasing when mounted in position on the inside of the wall assembly110.

As described above, the wall assembly 110 comprises a series of wallpanels 122 that are arranged in a line along the line of the wallassembly 110. Each wall panel 122 has the channel 134 defined in eachside thereof that can be used to form a said vertically extendingconduit space. As described above the channels 134 of the abutting sidesof two adjacent panels 122 open into each other and define a combinedchannel between them that forms the vertically extending conduit space.This is suitable for receiving either an electrical conduit containingat least one electrical cable 166 to enable the electrical cable 166 totravel down the wall body 112 while being received within the wall body112.

The electrical cable 166 within the electrical conduit 160 on the topplate 120 is directed out of the service conduit 160 and down a selectedvertically extending conduit space indicated by the reference numeral167.

The conduit space 167 which is defined by the combined channels 134extends down the wall to a desired height at which the electrical supplycables are required for electrical connection to an electrical fitting.The cable 166 is passed through a cable opening 168 that is defined inthe top plate 120, and specifically in the bridging element 140associated with that particular conduit space 158. A rubber grommet ismounted in the cable opening 168 and the cable 166 is passed through asnug fitting opening defined in the grommet.

The wall assembly 110 has an electrical conduit 163 received within theconduit space 167 within which the electrical cable 166 is received. Inthe illustrated embodiment the conduit 163 has a circular crosssectional shape although it will be appreciated that other crosssectional shapes could also be used. At the desired height within theselected vertical conduit space 167 the electrical cable 166 is directedout of the conduit 163, e.g. through an open end of the conduit 163. Thecable 166 is then directed out of the conduit space 167 through a cableoutlet 169 in the associated wall panel 122 and into a room of theliving space of the house 150. The electrical cable 166 is thenoperatively connected to a switch plate or an electrical switch on thewall assembly 110 within the room. While the arrangement of cables abovehas been described above with reference to electrical cables, it will beappreciated that the same arrangement could also be used for datacables. Further data cables could also be conveyed through the sameconduits as electrical cables.

In FIGS. 20 to 22, a water conduit or water pipe which is indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 170 directs water through the otherhorizontal conduit space 168 and then down through the panels 122 of thewall body 112 to a water service provision point at a plumbing fittingon the inside of the wall body 112.

The conduit space 168 is adjacent the outside face 116 of the wall body112 and adjacent the outside of the house. Specifically it is on theother side of the top cap portion 138 of the top plate 120 to theelectrical conduit 160. The water pipe 170 travels along the upper edgeof the wall body 112, to the point along the length of the wall body 112at which the water needs to be delivered through a plumbing fitting intothe living space of the house for use. In the illustrated embodiment thewater pipe 170 is simply received in the conduit space 168 and does nothave a surrounding conduit within it is received. However it will beappreciated that in some embodiments the water pipe 170 can be receivedwithin a surrounding or shielding conduit or sheath within the conduitspace 168. Further while the drawing only illustrates one water pipe 170within the conduit space it will be appreciated that two different waterpipes, namely one for hot water and one for cold water, could bereceived within the conduit space 168 even though this is not shown.

As shown in the drawings, the wall assembly 110 includes a cover stripthat is a fascia board 174 that is mounted over the upper region of theexternal wall face 116. The fascia board 174 extends from the externalfaces 124 of the panels 122 on the outside of the house 150 up to theroof assembly 154 mounted on the top plate 120. Thus the fascia board174 covers over the water pipe 170 running along the conduit spacewithin the top plate 120.

The water pipe 170 is directed out of the horizontal conduit space 168and turned downward through about ninety degrees into another selectedone of the vertically extending conduit spaces 176 formed by thechannels 134 in the sides 130, 132 of adjacent panels 122. Thus thewater pipe 170 is directed into a vertically extending conduit space 176that is just like the conduit space 167 within which the electricalcable 166 is received. Importantly the water pipe 170 is received withinthe conduit space 176 which is different to the vertical conduit space167. The two conduit spaces 167, 176 are spaced apart from each other bya distance that is at least the width of one panel 122 because adjacentchannel 134 are formed at the point where adjacent panels 122 abutagainst each other.

The water pipe 170 is used to conduit or direct water from a waterservice entry point at which the water main enters the house 150 to awater service provision point at a plumbing fitting within the house150. The plumbing fitting could be a tap in a bathroom, kitchen orlaundry or it could be a water supply point for an appliance such as awashing machine or a dishwasher.

Accordingly the water pipe 170 is passed down through the wall body 112to a height at which it is required to be coupled to a plumbing fitting.It is then passed through a water pipe outlet 178 in the wall body 112and into the living space of the house 150 where it is operativelycoupled to a plumbing fitting.

The description above and the associated drawings thus show how anelectrical service conduit is directed along the upper edge of the wallbody 112 and then down through the wall body 112 to an electricalservice delivery point. It also shows how a water conduit or water pipecan be used to conduit water along the upper edge of the wall body 112and down through the wall panels 122 of the wall body 112 to a waterservice delivery point.

In use when a house 150 is built, the wall support which is the slab 152is poured first and then the wall assembly 110 is built on the slab 152.The roof 154 is then built on top of the wall assembly 110 andadditional components such as doors and walls are mounted on the wallassembly 110. The house 150 reaches a lock up stage of construction whenit can be physically closed and locked up, at which point plumbers andelectricians typically commence their work on the house 150. They dothis by laying out the electrical cables 166, conduit 160, and waterpipe 170 to provide these services at distributed service provisionpoints within the house 150. The electrical conduit 160 are laid out inon the conduit space 156 running horizontally along the top plate 120 onthe inside of the wall assembly 110, and the water pipes 170 are laidout in the other conduit space 158 running horizontally long the topplate 120. The conduit spaces 156, 158 are configured to providesuitable spaces within which to run the conduit 160 and water pipe 170respectively.

Further the selected vertical conduit spaces 167 and 176 formed by thecombined channels 134 between certain adjacent panels provide convenientconduit spaces travelling in a vertical extending direction. Theplumbers and electricians can then route the water pipes and electricalcables through the channels 134 formed in the wall panels 122 of thewall body 112. Thereafter the cables and water pipes are passed out ofthe wall body 112 through outlets, in the form of outlet holes, into theliving space of the house 150, in the positions in which they arerequired. The provision of electrical and water services is thenfinished in the usual way with the usual electrical and plumbingfittings within the living space by operatively connecting the cablesand/or conduits to the fittings.

If maintenance is required to be performed on the electrical cables 166laid out in the house 150, the cover strip 164 of the conduit 160 cansimply be removed. This provides access to the interior of theelectrical conduit 160 and the electrical cable/s 166 within the conduit160. Accordingly no invasive procedures need to be carried out on thepermanently fixed components of the wall assembly 112. Consequentlyafterwards no repairs to the walls and wall finishes are required.

If a cable 166 that is received within a combined conduit space withinthe wall body 112 is required to be withdrawn, either for inspection ormaintenance, it can simply be lifted up out of the channel 134 byaccessing the cable 166 from the conduit 160 on the top plate 120 andpulling it out.

The water conduit or pipe 170 running along the operatively upper edge118 of the wall body 112 in the outside conduit space 158 can beaccessed by removing the fascia 174 on the outside face 116 of the wallbody 112. Similarly the water pipe 174 can be lifted out, or pulled out,of a combined conduit space 176 formed by channels 134 within the wallpanels 132 in a similar way to the electrical cable/s 166 describedabove.

FIG. 23 shows an internal room within a house indicated generally byreference numeral 180 and an internal surface of one wall 181 of theroom 180 which is an external wall of the house.

The room 180 has a laundry tub 182 therein mounted up against the wall181. The room 180 also has an electrical cable 166 leading to a lightswitch 184 and an electrical power point 186 about midway up the heightof the wall 181 on one side of the laundry tub 182. The room 180 alsohas a data cable leading to a data point 188 spaced away from thelaundry tub 182 and the light switch 184 and electrical power point 186.The electrical cables and the data cable run along one horizontallyextending conduit space defined by the top plate at the top of the wall181 and then through a cable opening in the top plate 120 and down aselected vertically extending conduit space 190 defined between thechannels between two adjacent panels.

The water pipe runs along the other horizontally extending conduit spacedefined by the top plate and then through a water pipe opening in thetop plate and down a different vertically extending conduit space 192formed a by a channel between different panels that is spaced away fromthe channel carrying the electrical cables. The water pipe is passedthrough a water pipe outlet opening in the wall and is operativelycoupled to a tap that delivers water through a mixed into the tub 182.

The data cables are contained in the same horizontally extending conduitspace at the top of the wall 181 as the electrical cables and are passedthrough another cable opening in the top plate into yet anothervertically extending conduit space 194 formed by the channels between adifferent paid of adjacent panels again. Further there is also anotherpower point 195 in the room that is electrically connected to anelectrical cable that travels along the top of the wall in the samehorizontal conduit space as the other electrical cables and that ispassed down yet another conduit space 196 defined by the channels in yetdifferent panels again.

An advantage of the building structure that is a house described abovewith reference to the drawings is that a structure is provided that canbe efficiently built. The structure has walls with posts located atspaced intervals along the length of the walls. The walls also makeprovision for running service conduits including electrical cables andwater pipes through the house and particularly the wall assemblythereof, in an efficient manner and in a way that makes the serviceseasy to maintain after they have been installed. In particular anadvantage of the building structure is that the body wall includes wallpanels that define channels therein that form vertical conduit spacesthat can be used for receiving service cables including electricalcables, data cables, and also water pipes therein.

Yet further another advantage of the building structure is that the topplate is configured to define at least one horizontal conduit spacesuitable for receiving an electrical conduit along its top plate. In apreferred form the top plate is configured to define two horizontalconduit spaces running along the top of the wall body that arephysically separated from each other. One service conduit is positionedon one side of the top cap portion of the top plate and the otherservice conduit is positioned on the other side of the top cap portion.Typically an electrical conduit containing electrical cables can runalong the top plate in one of the conduit spaces and another electricalconduit or a water pipe can run along the top plate in the other conduitspace. This feature of designing the top plate to have space to receivethe services considerably eases the construction process and saves timeand money by providing suitable conduit spaces ready made on the wallassembly. It also provides a reproducible and standardized way ofarranging the service cables and conduits within the structure whichhelps to raise building standards and simplifies maintenance proceduresbecause all buildings are done in the same way.

Yet further the removable cover strip enables access to be provided tothe service conduit for maintenance and the like. Yet further theremovable cover strip provides a neat aesthetic finish between theceiling and the wall assembly on an inside of the building much like acornice. The cover strip can therefore also function as a cornice andobviates the need and cost of mounting an additional cornice on the wallassembly. It will readily be appreciated that more ornate cover stripscould be provided than those illustrated to create an additionalaesthetic effect like different cornices.

A further advantage of the wall assembly and building structuredescribed above with reference to the drawings is that some buildingstructures such as houses do not have roof spaces between a ceiling anda roof. The roof space has traditionally been used to run electricalcables horizontally around the house and then to drop them down into thewall cavities at points where they are required. However some housesparticularly some new designs of houses have panel roofs that do nothave a roof space between the roof member and the ceiling. Instead thereis only a sandwich panel on the roof with an outer roof layer and aninner ceiling layer. With such house designs clearly an alternativemethodology is required for running the electrical cables and waterpipes horizontally to different locations in the house where serviceshave to be provided. The top plate with the two horizontally extendingconduit spaces formed thereon which are physically separated from eachother provides this facility in a simple and elegant fashion.

A further advantage is that the wall panel comprises an insulating corepositioned between two metal skins or outer layers. Accordingly when thechannel is formed in the insulating core the surrounding materialalready functions like an electrical conduit of enclosing non-conductingmaterial and a separate additional electrical conduit is not required toreceive the electrical cables.

An advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described abovewith reference to the drawings is that the building is built from a verylimited number of building components. The panel acts as a structuralmember, an insulating material, and also as external and internalcladding. The spaced posts are made of steel as are the upper and lowerwall channels. This fewer number of building components results in fewerdeliveries being made from suppliers of the different building materialsto the building site to deliver the building materials. This in itselfleads to a reduced carbon footprint during the construction process.Further it is much simpler to order the components used in this buildingstructure and it takes less time to order the components from thesuppliers and then co-ordinate the delivery of the components with thesuppliers.

Further it will readily be appreciated that the construction of a homeusing these building components takes considerably less time than ittakes to build a typical timber frame home with a brick veneer.Applicant estimates that the construction technique described in thespecification above leads to a 34% reduction in the length of time takento progress the building process from pouring the slab to lockup of thebuilding. The shorter construction time in turn leads to substantialfinancial savings.

Another advantage of the wall assembly and building structure describedabove with reference to the drawings is that it can be assembled veryspeedily by a worker having minimal skills. It does not require askilled and experienced carpenter to build a timber frame and qualifiedbricklayer to build a brick veneer. Further it will also be appreciatedthat overall fewer tradesmen having different trades relating to thebasic structure, such as carpentry, bricklaying and plastering, arerequired to build the home. The use of different tradesmen havingdifferent skills adds considerably to the expense of building a homeusing traditional building techniques.

Yet another advantage of the wall assembly and building structuredescribed above with reference to the drawings is that the thermalinsulation properties of the building are considerably improved over atypical prior art brick veneer construction. The building panels have ahigh level of insulation. Yet another advantage of the wall assembly andbuilding structure described above with reference to the drawings isthat they have a high level of sound insulation. The solid panelsdescribed above with their foam layer between the steel skins are‘acoustic panels’ that are every effective at insulating travel of soundthrough internal walls and also sound travel through external walls.

Yet another advantage of the wall assembly and building structuredescribed above with reference to the drawings is that there is no riskof termite infestation. The wall panels have skin layers made of sheetsteel and an inner core made of insulating foam. The steel and foammaterials are not eaten or consumed by termites. Therefore there is norisk of termite infestation and no need to conduct regular checks fortermites and install costly termite treatments in this building.

It will of course be realized that the above has been given only by wayof illustrative example of the invention and that all such modificationsand variations thereto, as would be apparent to persons skilled in theart, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of theinvention as is herein set forth.

1. A wall assembly including: a wall support having a plurality ofanchoring elements projecting up therefrom; a wall body comprising aplurality of panels extending in a line, each panel having front andrear panel faces and two sides that extend between the front and rearpanel faces, each side of each panel defines a recess therein, and eachrecess is aligned with the recess on the adjacent side of an adjacentpanel so that the recesses open into each other and form a receivingchannel; a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge ofthe wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wallsupport, wherein the top plate is configured so that service cables orconduits can be run along the length of the top plate without projectingout proud of the front and rear panel faces of the panels; a bottomplate that runs along the operatively lower edges of the panels andwhich is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support; and a pluralityof support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the length of thewall body, each support post being received within one of the receivingchannels formed in the wall body and being fixed directly or indirectlyto the wall body and to the wall support, each support post includes apost top bracket that is fixed thereto and is fixed to the top plateadjacent to the support post, and each support post has a bore definedin a lower end thereof within which one of the anchoring elements on thesupport is received to fix the support post to the wall support; and oneor more service cables or conduits for providing services, each servicecable or conduit being directed from the top plate down through one ofthe receiving channels defined in the wall body which is not occupied bya support post whereby to run the cables or conduits to where they arerequired on the wall body.
 2. A wall assembly according to claim 1,wherein the top plate comprises a bridge that has two spaced skirts thatextend over the front and rear faces of the panel and a top cap thatprojects above the bridge, and wherein the bridge and the top captogether form at least one pair of orthogonally extending surfaces alongthe length of the top plate that define a service receiving formation onone side of the top cap.
 3. A wall assembly according to claim 1,wherein the bottom plate has a plurality of post openings definedtherein at intervals along its length, and each support post is passedthrough a said post opening to fix the support post to the bottom plate.4. A wall assembly including: a wall support; a wall body comprising aplurality of panels extending in a line along a length of the wallassembly, each panel having front and rear panel faces and two sidesextending between the front and rear faces, each side of each paneldefines a recess therein, and each recess is aligned with the recess onthe adjacent side of an adjacent panel so that the recesses open intoeach other and form a receiving channel; a plurality of support postspositioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall body, eachsupport post being received within one of the receiving channels formedin the wall body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall bodyand to the wall support; a bottom plate that runs along the operativelylower edges of the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to thewall support; and a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upperedge of the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to thewall support.
 5. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein thesupport posts are located at substantially evenly spaced intervals alongthe length of the wall body, and each support post is locatedintermediate two adjacent panels.
 6. A wall assembly according to claim4, wherein each recess is a substantially square recess that is sizedand configured such that a receiving channel can receive a support posttherein with a working clearance.
 7. A wall assembly according to claim4, wherein the top plate defines a panel receiving channel comprises abridge that extends at least part of the way across the operativelyupper edge of the panel, and skirts that extend from the bridge down thefront and rear faces of the panels, and the top plate is fixed to eachof the panels by means of a plurality of fastening elements that passthrough one of the skirts on the panel receiving channel and into one ofthe front and rear faces of the panels at spaced intervals along thelength of the wall assembly.
 8. A wall assembly according to claim 4,wherein each support post is indirectly fixed to the wall body by beingfixed to the top plate, and wherein each support post is also fixed tothe bottom plate.
 9. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein eachsupport post includes a post top bracket for fixing the post to the topplate, and each post top bracket is fixed to the support post and to thetop plate in a region thereof that is adjacent to the support post. 10.A wall assembly according to claim 9, wherein each support post includesa bore formed in the upper and lower ends thereof, and the post topbracket is mounted on each support post by means of a post fasteningelement that is passed through an opening in the post top bracket andinto the bore formed in the upper end of the support post where it isfixed to the support post.
 11. A wall assembly according to claim 10,wherein the bore defined in the upper end of each support post has ascrew thread formed thereon and the post fastening element is a bolthaving an enlarged head and a complementary external screw thread formedon the shank thereof for engaging the thread in the bore.
 12. A wallassembly according to claim 10, wherein the top plate fixing portion ofthe post top bracket is sandwiched between the upper edges of theadjacent panels and a portion of the top plate that overlaps therewith,and the top plate is fixed to the top plate fixing portion by means offastening elements that are passed through the top plate and the topplate fixing portion of the post top bracket.
 13. A wall assemblyaccording to claim 4, wherein each support post has a bore defined in alower end thereof, and the wall assembly includes an anchoring elementanchored in the wall support that projects above the support, and theanchoring element is received within the bore to fix the support post tothe wall support.
 14. A wall assembly according to claim 13, wherein theanchoring element is a bolt having a screw threaded shank projecting outof the wall support, and the bore in the lower end of the support posthas a complementary screw thread, and the shank is received within thebore in the lower end of the support post and engaged therewith.
 15. Awall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the bottom plate has aplurality of post openings defined therein at intervals along itslength, and each support post is passed through a said post opening tofix the support post to the bottom plate.
 16. A wall assembly accordingto claim 4, wherein the bottom plate comprises two spaced two channelwalls interconnected by a web that defines a bottom channel within whichoperatively lower edges of the panels are received, and the bottom plateis fixed to each of the panels by means of fastening elements that arepassed through one of the channel walls and into the panel at spacedintervals along the length of the bottom plate.
 17. A wall assemblyaccording to claim 4, wherein the wall assembly further includes holddown brackets mounted on the bottom plate located at spaced intervalsalong the bottom rail for further fixing the bottom plate to the supportto strengthen the attachment of the bottom plate to the support for whenthe wall assembly is subjected to high load.
 18. A wall assemblyaccording to claim 4, wherein the top plate is configured so thatservice cables or conduits can be run along the length of the top platewithout projecting out proud of the front and rear panel faces of thepanels.
 19. A wall assembly according to claim 18, wherein the top platecomprises a bridge that has two spaced skirts that extend over the frontand rear faces of the panel and a top cap that projects above thebridge, and wherein the bridge and the top cap together form at leastone pair of orthogonally extending surfaces that define a servicereceiving formation on one side of the top cap along the length of thetop plate.
 20. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the wallassembly includes one or more service cables or conduits, and eachservice cable or conduit is directed through one of the receivingchannels defined in the wall body which is free of a support postwhereby to facilitate running of the service cable or conduit throughthe wall body.
 21. A wall assembly according to claim 20, wherein thewall assembly includes one or more service points on the wall body, andwherein each service point comprises an electrical switch or anelectrical power point or a data connection point on the front face of apanel of the wall body.
 22. A wall assembly according to claim 4,wherein each panel comprises two outer layers and an insulating coresandwiched between the two outer layers, and the two outer layers areformed of a sheet of metallic material such as steel and have athickness in the range of 0.3 mm-1.0 mm, and the insulating core isformed of a polymeric insulating material, e.g. extruded or expandedpolystyrene.
 23. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein thepanels have complementary engagement formations on each side thereofthat when engaged act to locate adjacent panels relative to each otherand hold and support adjacent panels in position relative to each other.24. A building structure including a wall assembly as defined in claim 4forming an external wall of the building; and a roof mounted on the wallassembly.
 25. A building structure according to claim 24, wherein theroof comprises a plurality of roof panels arranged side by side along atleast part of the length of the wall assembly.